Themes and Issues
-Success
-Acceptance

Symbols
-Success
-Fulfillment of goals
-Da can redeem his family name by getting into a good collage

Narrator POV
-In this chapter, Da Chen uses past tense in his narration. Da occasionally uses a or metaphor. Sometimes, he will use a present tense form to describe to the reader how he felt, but mostly is straightforward in the chapter.

Image
-This picture applies to the chapter because Da Chen gets an extremely high grade for the exams he takes and amazes everyone.

Plot Synopsis

In Chapter 26, Da and his family are very relived that Jin and Da got good test scores. The brothers are busy deciding which college to go to. When Cousin Tan hears of the news, he is very impressed. The chapter also touches on what two children from one family, especially a landlord’s family, means to the family and the village. Da meets Dia after the test scores came in, only to find Dia received a very poor grade. Dia’s mom signed him up for the army, yet he doesn’t seem too sad. With Da’s grades, he could get into any college he wanted to. After a physical exam and a written application sent in, Da and his brother wait for the results. In the meantime, marriage proposals come in by the dozen, and Da gets invited to the party secretary’s house for the evening. The Chen family have a renewed status in society.

Key Quotes

- “I didn’t want to hurt Tan’s pride. After all, I still loved and respected my cousin. He had paved the road for Jin and me and given us hope when we were just another landlord’s family, waiting to be wasted by communism. (294)”
- “Dad smiled like a carefree lion, smoking his pipe, while my mom still sniffled over the shock of the news. It shook her up in a very pleasant way. They both confessed it was the best day of their lives. (295)”
- “Jin was totally another person, no longer the distant, older brother who had always loved me, but never gotten the chance to say so. The manhood in Yellow Stone had been too confining for him to show brotherly affection, but now it was as if a part of him had been freed. He saw me as and equal and respected me. We had sweated together and were victorious in the end. We had never been this happy before. (300)”

Language and Style

Although most of Colors of the Mountain has a lot of different writing styles in it, the language of chapter 25 varies very little. It has a lot of simplistic statements, and descriptions about his emotions and his family’s. There are a couple uses of poetic language though. For example, on page 295, Da says, “Dad smiled like a carefree lion.” This simile really describes Dad’s emotions and feelings.

Mood and Tone

Since Da and Jin already passed their tests with flying colors, the climax of the plot is over, and the book is starting to wind down. There is a general tone of happiness, relief, and carefree days. Da and Jin have done a lot for their family’s reputation. They have overcome tremendous obstacles, and now they are getting to relax, and enjoy their success and life on the whole. There is a bit of a sad note, because their sisters never got the chance to learn and go to college, and their grandfather wasn’t alive to see the boys’ successes.